


Yes, Your Child is Magical—Now What?

by Slumber



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Hogwarts Letters, Muggleborn, Pre-Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-23
Updated: 2011-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:00:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26392288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slumber/pseuds/Slumber
Summary: Muggleborn Hogwarts Letter
Kudos: 1
Collections: 30-minute Writer's Block Challenge





	Yes, Your Child is Magical—Now What?

Dear Mr and Mrs Boot,

We are pleased to inform you that your son, Terry Boot, has been accepted into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry starting the following term, on the 1st of September, 1991. He has exhibited extraordinary magical talent in the midst of a non-magical background and we would like to instruct him in the proper use of it.

Often when we send this letter to non-magical parents, we will get two reactions. The first, the primary, the immediate, is a variation of shock and surprise. 'But what are they talking about?', they often ask. 'What do they mean?'

To that, I can verily assure you, Mr and Mrs Boot, that this is no joke. That magic is, in fact, quite real, and that there is a school for learning it. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has a long and storied history, and it is a privilege for your son to attend it. There he will meet students very much like him, with similar and dissimilar backgrounds and abilities, and professors who are the most learned in their respective fields. He will learn the appropriate use of a wand, and of course, he will also learn about the wizarding world and its cultures. 

The second, more secret reaction, the one that parents are surprised we would know about, is relief. I say this, for upon reading this letter, most parents often find the most simple explanation for the most extraordinary of things. 'So that's what was going on,' they often think. 'So that explains it.'

And that, Mr and Mrs Boot, is exactly why Terry needs to go to Hogwarts. If you have ever had strange things happen in the household--a suddenly broken piece of furniture, an unexplainable change in somebody's appearance--then you must know that it is a small manifestation of your son's magical power, heretofore unknown to you, and uncontrollable to him. 

I hope you would be relieved to know that it isn't just you. All wizards start out this way. They exhibit magical behaviour but are unable to harness their magic to do much of anything. This is where Hogwarts can, and will, help. 

For your son, as well, may be wondering these very same things. He may be thinking to himself that he is different, that he is unlike his peers. At Hogwarts he will be one student of a thousand, similarly inexperienced, similarly magical. Here he will find the very best friends of his life, and we do not make these promises lightly. Hogwarts will be his second home--we will take very good care of your son, and we will be delighted to have him.

I apologise for the length this introduction has gone, but we have found in the past that too short an explanation rarely lends credence to our letter, and it is often better to err on the side of caution in this regard. 

We send out these letters once a year, and we do have a number that go out to non-magical parents like yourselves. Often we find that it is more difficult to convey everything about our world with one letter, so we will be sending a representative to your place of residence shortly in order to discuss more specific logistics about your son attending Hogwarts as well as answer any further questions you three may have.

Attached in this owl is a short book that we hope will help, meanwhile, in helping you understand more about wizards and our lives. It covers the basics of commerce, government, education, as well as many other things that I am certain you'll find very valuable.

We should note, at this point, that secrecy is of utmost importance. The wizarding world has stayed behind the scenes, unknown to most non-magical folks, and we do want it to stay that way. If there are others who are aware of what your son and others like him are capable of, well then, we worry about what they might do. 

While magical ability comes with its own set of problems, as most things do, few ever see that it is not the answer, the end-all and be-all to everything. Magic, Mr and Mrs Boot, does not solve everything. Magic does not do everything. We hope you understand there is a certain level of risk in exposing our world to all of yours should you ever discuss this letter outside of your family. Then we will have to come in with our magical cops and take care that the information is forgotten. We do not want to have it come to that.

That said, please do take the time to read "Yes, Your Child is Magical—Now What? A Compilation of Short Answers to Most Frequently Asked Questions by Non-Magical Parents" while you wait for our visit.

As to the matter of telling Terry he is magical, we will leave it up to you to decide what manner is best. Over the years we have learned that a simple and honest discussion is best and that letting him know that you are supportive of him and his abilities will help stem whatever concerns he may have. We will also suggest that you do show him the letter so that he may see it for himself, and that he is aware of when our representative arrives. We would very much like to meet the entire family ahead of time.

If there are any other children in the household, we would like to caution you that they may not share your son's magical ability. If they are older, then we know that for a certainty--our letter would have arrived for you earlier. If they are younger, then you must not let them assume they will receive a letter as well. We will, again, defer to your judgement as to how to break this news. Should they wish, we will also be very happy to meet them and answer whatever questions they may have about Hogwarts and their brother.

As we have already mentioned in this letter, we will be sending over a representative very shortly in order to help field whatever other questions you may have. We have tried, in the past, to ensure that our letters are sufficient for such matters, but have found that there is no amount of magical divining ability in the world large enough to foresee anything and everything that you may be wondering about. As we have said, the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has a long and storied history: to cram all of that information in a letter our owls can deliver is bordering on the impossible. (There is, however, a book for purchase: Hogwarts, A History, that you may peruse at your leisure.) We hope our representative will be able to answer all of your questions about the magical world and your son's place in it.

We understand, as well, if you are reluctant to change your plans for your family. Perhaps Terry has already been accepted in a similarly prestigious but non-magical place of learning, and you worry about him missing out on the non-magical subjects. Perhaps you don't wish to send him off to school at all. Perhaps you don't want anything to do with magic. We hope you will receive our representative into your homes regardless, and that you listen to what they have to say.

We will be sending you Professor Aurora Sinistra, our Arithmancy professor. While she teaches a subject that only third years and up may learn, she has the unique position of being born into a non-magical household much like your son was. She will be happy to let you know what to expect, and she is perhaps the best positioned to allay your concerns. We will be sending another owl shortly to confirm the date and time of her arrival.

If you have by now decided that you might like to consider sending your son to Hogwarts after all, you will find attached a list of supplies that must be purchased for his first term at Hogwarts. Professor Sinistra will instruct you in how to shop for these items, as well as how to send your son off to Hogwarts.

Yours sincerely,  
Minerva McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress

**Author's Note:**

> Please consider donating to local organizations who support trans individuals in your area.


End file.
